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Observation: this is where mandatory voting comes in useful.
In Australia, one need not feel enthusiastic about the party or person one is voting for. One votes, not as a passion, but as a duty - one might even say as a responsibility. It's unglamourous and, you know, probably dishonourable to the American need for JUSTICE, TRUTH, AND AMERICA'S GLORIOUS DESTINY, but...it's kind of a relief. You go, you vote, everywhere's a polling booth, the lines wax, they wane, but by and large, all 18 million plus of us Australian adults have to vote, so it's not difficult.
A huge disappointment at times (cf. March and May 2019) particularly given Murdoch's hold over the traditional media and the near-fanaticism that economic stewardship is held in, but...at least it's not a case of "I don't feel PASSIONATE about the candidate so I'm not going to vote *takes toys and goes home*".
Frankly, Americans seem entirely too engrossed in whether they FEEEL the candidate or not, and whether or not they FEEEL the candidate determines whether or not they turn up to vote. And yes, your government makes it fucking impossible to vote, and then claims that the alternatives to in-person voting aren't secure.
(I can change the vote of a million electronic votes with a dozen lines of code, but it would take me days, weeks, months to do that on a mail-in vote. The fact that the pollies don't like the mail-in vote? TOO BAD, SO SAD. It shows if a politician is just here for the power or if they're actually here to do the people's will.)
Like, no. I dislike Labor doing the 'centrist right' thing, but I will absolutely take them over the LNP. And I'll support the Greens, progressive Independents in the Senate, and candidates who I just like (y helo thar Penny Wong) because, yes, I FEEEL them. But I also calculate where my vote will do the most good and I will fucking bloody vote there, even if my electorate will vote conservative, conservative, and conservative every time.
What is done is done. Make the best of it, Democratic America. I know that you don't like being anything like the rest of us unAmerican plebs out here toiling away without our Manifest Destiny and our American Speshulness and our Ohnoes We Should Be Better Than The Status Quo, but you fucked up world politics quite royally last time we did this, so suck it up, Princess and go for the Status Quo.
Oh, and flip the bloody Senate, guys. That'll make a difference, too.
Note: if you're going to vote and vote Blue No Matter Who, and you're not running around encouraging people not to vote for Biden because: status quo, or blaming the Democratic Establishment for not supporting the candidate you preferred, then shhhhhh this post is not about you or for you.
Okay, that's out.
In Australia, one need not feel enthusiastic about the party or person one is voting for. One votes, not as a passion, but as a duty - one might even say as a responsibility. It's unglamourous and, you know, probably dishonourable to the American need for JUSTICE, TRUTH, AND AMERICA'S GLORIOUS DESTINY, but...it's kind of a relief. You go, you vote, everywhere's a polling booth, the lines wax, they wane, but by and large, all 18 million plus of us Australian adults have to vote, so it's not difficult.
A huge disappointment at times (cf. March and May 2019) particularly given Murdoch's hold over the traditional media and the near-fanaticism that economic stewardship is held in, but...at least it's not a case of "I don't feel PASSIONATE about the candidate so I'm not going to vote *takes toys and goes home*".
Frankly, Americans seem entirely too engrossed in whether they FEEEL the candidate or not, and whether or not they FEEEL the candidate determines whether or not they turn up to vote. And yes, your government makes it fucking impossible to vote, and then claims that the alternatives to in-person voting aren't secure.
(I can change the vote of a million electronic votes with a dozen lines of code, but it would take me days, weeks, months to do that on a mail-in vote. The fact that the pollies don't like the mail-in vote? TOO BAD, SO SAD. It shows if a politician is just here for the power or if they're actually here to do the people's will.)
Like, no. I dislike Labor doing the 'centrist right' thing, but I will absolutely take them over the LNP. And I'll support the Greens, progressive Independents in the Senate, and candidates who I just like (y helo thar Penny Wong) because, yes, I FEEEL them. But I also calculate where my vote will do the most good and I will fucking bloody vote there, even if my electorate will vote conservative, conservative, and conservative every time.
What is done is done. Make the best of it, Democratic America. I know that you don't like being anything like the rest of us unAmerican plebs out here toiling away without our Manifest Destiny and our American Speshulness and our Ohnoes We Should Be Better Than The Status Quo, but you fucked up world politics quite royally last time we did this, so suck it up, Princess and go for the Status Quo.
Oh, and flip the bloody Senate, guys. That'll make a difference, too.
Note: if you're going to vote and vote Blue No Matter Who, and you're not running around encouraging people not to vote for Biden because: status quo, or blaming the Democratic Establishment for not supporting the candidate you preferred, then shhhhhh this post is not about you or for you.
Okay, that's out.
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